Oregon Coast Guide: X Marks the Spot for Families

Port of Call: Newport

FAIRHAVENVACATIONRENTALSfairhavenvacationrentals.com; from $200 Scattered along the Nye Beach waterfront, Fairhaven’s four posh homes give the kids room to romp—and provide you with a serene space to escape the crowds. Fairhaven’s rentals can accommodate up to nine people and also come with large gourmet kitchens, so you can play coastal chef and whip up, say rockfish and a grilled-ramps salad for a good, old-fashioned family supper. The only downside? Dirty dishes.

AGATEBEACHMOTELagatebeachmotel.com; from $139 Perched on a hillside overlooking a moon-shaped elbow of Agate Beach just north of downtown Newport, this cluster of 10 cottages has all the ingredients for tranquility and peace—fully furnished living areas, private beach-facing decks, and, most important, separate bedrooms. And, in case you need to get away from your little getaway, just a few steps will bring you to the beach.

EAT

ROGUEALESPUBLICHOUSErogue.com Open to minors until 10 p.m., this 23-year-old pub’s burgers and pizzas appease kids, while the parent-friendly taps furnish mom and dad with a selection of 35 ways to wash down the day. One taste of a Brutal Bitter and you’ll be ready to wrangle your own little rogues. Again.

THECOFFEEHOUSEthecoffeehousenewport.com Fortify the family for a day of aquarium-going with this quaint café’s hearty breakfasts, like the enormous egg-and-bacon sandwich, served on steaming focaccia bread. Or dive into a three-egg omelet—deeply layered with cheeses, sausage, bell peppers, and onions—and a tall glass of fresh-squeezed OJ.

DO

OREGONCOASTAQUARIUMaquarium.org It’s a fact: no one has ever been able to look at an otter without smiling. At Newport’s largest and most popular attraction, you’ll find otters as well as everything from sharks to squid, showcasing the ocean’s potential for the cute (sea lions), the grotesque (the cabezon, or “scorpion fish”), and the just plain weird (the Pacific sea nettle).

MARINER’S SQUAREmarinersquare.com Mariner’s Square boasts a trifecta of fun that’ll make your inner Clark Griswold smile: the creepy Wax Works containing hundreds of celebrity statues, from Michael Jackson to Yoda; the off-kilter Ripley’s Believe It or Not; and a stationary glass-bottomed boat dubbed the Undersea Gardens, which gives visitors a peek at a colorful aquatic ecosystem, octopus and all. On the Oregon coast, this is as close to Walley World as you can get.

YAQUINAHEADLIGHTHOUSEblm.gov/or Built in 1873 on a dramatic, rocky peninsula above the Pacific, this 93-foot tower is easy enough for young trekkers to reach from Nye Beach (just a half-mile) and rewarding enough—what with its 270-degree views of the roiling Pacific—to keep adults happy, too.

DEPOEBAYGEYSERS Rain, fog, and wind don’t need to put a damper on your outdoor plans. Grab a poncho and make the 10-minute drive north to Depoe Bay, where the roadside natural geysers right downtown are even more impressive in stormy weather. Waves slam against the rocks, go under the old lava bed, and spout up to 60 feet in the air from holes in the surface. The din of the waves will be matched only by the oohs and aahs of your little ones.

How to Build the Perfect Sandcastle

RAID YOUR KITCHEN You’ll need a large (roughly five-gallon) container to mix sand. Grab serving spoons for clearing sand from the inside of castle walls, small spoons to hollow out doors and windows, and butter knives to smooth walls and carve balconies. Skewers carve stone and brick detailing in walls, paintbrushes smooth sand, and straws blow away excess sand from the finished product.

STAKE YOUR CLAIM Pick a spot at high tide and start shoving and piling sand. Mix the sand with water in your five-gallon container so it has the consistency of dense cake mix.

USE “COW PATTY” METHOD Create the four towers at the corners of your castle by slapping down handfuls of sand like cow patties. Shape each pile into a four-sided pyramid shape. Carve this into an eight-sided pyramid, and finally smooth the angles into a symmetrical cone with your large paintbrush.

PUT UP A WALL Keep smacking down sand between the towers to build up the walls. Smooth them into the towers with your hands and a knife.

CARVE IT UP For a door you can look through, carefully carve out an opening with the spoon, knife, or skewer. Use a spray bottle as you carve to keep sand wet.

PROTECT YOUR FORTRESS You could mold little sand soldiers, but a one-foot-wide moat is far more effective when the tide is your greatest enemy.

Family Treasures

North to South

RAZOR CLAMMING(Seaside)Grab a shovel, or your bare hands, and make for the fertile sand between Seaside and the Columbia River before razor clamming season ends in mid-July. Ninety-five percent of the state’s razor clams can be found here, so there’s no better way to indulge your hunger for fresh shellfish—not to mention your junior treasure hunter. Just make sure you get your license from the Department of Fish & Wildlife in advance, or your kids also will learn a lesson called “fines.”

TILLAMOOK CHEESE FACTORY(TIllamook)tillamook.comThis classic coast tourist stop, in operation since 1949, churns out some 167,000 pounds of cheese every day. No wonder it can afford to be so generous with the free samples at the end of the self-guided, 20-minute tour.

SANDCASTLE PLAYGROUND(Lincoln City) 1200-1312 NE Regatta Park Dr 800-452-2151From a distance, this expansive wood-and-sand playground on the edge of Devil’s Lake looks like a small fortress. Close up, the intricate network of wooden platforms and bridges and tunnels reveal hours of climbing, hiding, and seeking fun. Plus, it’s large enough for big kids (ahem, mom and dad) to join in.

NORTHWEST WINDS KITES AND TOYS(Lincoln City)nwwinds.bizDubbed the kite capital of the world, Lincoln City hosts a Summer Kite Festival that fills the sky with huge, extravagant shapes every June. For families who want to get in on the fun, the Northwest Winds outlet sells custom, locally designed Gomberg kites, from kids’ diamonds to advanced lifters that might pull you off your feet. There’s no better way for first-time fliers and show-off dads alike to delight in riding the wind.

ELK RIVER(Port Orford)portorfordoregon.com/hatchery.html“Fish come and go,” Nobel prize winner E. Donnall Thomas once remarked, “but it is the memory of afternoons on the stream that endure.” Indeed, along the shores of the trout- and steelhead-choked Elk River near Port Orford, your family not only stands a good chance of catching something, but may also reel in lasting memories to boot. (Hedge your bets on the fish front by heading about seven miles southwest on Elk River Road to the Elk River Hatchery, which lets kids 10 and under fish for free on June 11 and 12; bait, reel, and tackle included.)

This article appeared in the
June 2011
issue of
Portland Monthly
Magazine.